1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to adjustable concrete forms for use in casting concrete and, more particularly, to adjustable concrete forms having at least one oblong aperture extending vertically to facilitate the vertical adjustment of a concrete form relative to another concrete form.
2. Background and Summary of the Invention
In construction, the use of concrete as a support material is well known. In fact, concrete is employed in various residential and commercial applications to construct support structures, such as foundations, walls, and the like. To this end, concrete forms are commonly used to encapsulate a volume having an open top portion into which liquid concrete is poured and cured.
Concrete forms are traditionally held together by either a rod and cotter pin assembly or by clamps. These fastening means are typically separate from the concrete forms and, thus, increase the difficulty in assembling a plurality of concrete forms.
Further, conventional concrete forms which are held together by rod and cotter pins include round apertures along the sidewall of the panel for inserting the rod therethrough. However, this design increases the difficulty in assembling the panels since it does not allow for adjustment in the vertical direction. Vertical adjustment is preferable because the preformed footing or ground surface upon which the concrete structure is formed may not be level. As such, the round apertures in one panel are incorrectly positioned relative to an adjacent panel, and in turn increases the time and effort required to assemble the concrete forms, since time must be taken to level the foundation upon which the concrete forms come to rest.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved concrete form which allows for vertical adjustment with respect to an adjacent form so as to accommodate variations in the footing or ground surface upon which the concrete is to be formed. It is also desirable to provide an improved concrete form having a selectively adjustable connecting member, permanently attached to the framework of the form to facilitate quick and convenient methods of assembly.
According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a concrete form is provided having a frame including a pair of parallel-spaced vertical sidewalls, and a panel attached to the frame wherein at least one of the side walls includes at least one vertically disposed oblong aperture which allows the form to be quickly and conveniently adjusted to accommodate variations in the footing or other ground surface upon which the concrete structure is to be formed.
Additionally, a preferred embodiment employs a selectively adjustable connecting member permanently attached to the frame of the concrete form which includes an elongated slot for receiving a wedge therein. Using this method, the connecting member or pin is quickly and conveniently inserted through the oblong, vertically disposed aperture of an adjacent panel to fasten the two adjacent panels together. The wedge itself provides an improvement over the art in that as the wedge is inserted through the slot in the pin, the panels are forced together.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood however that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.